Means for mounting objects that are



LE ROY J. LEISH'MAN MEANS FOR MOUNTING OBJECTS THAT ARE April 14, 1959 2,882,004

ROTATABLE ON TWO DIFFERENT AXES Filed Dec. 10, 1956 Hliinmw United States Patent MEANS FOR MOUNTING OBJECTS THAT ARE ROTATABLE ON TWO DIFFERENT AXES Le Roy J. Leishman, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application December 10, 1956, Serial No. 627,299

4 Claims. (Cl. 248-284) The invention herein described has to do with linkage or lever mechanisms, and more particularly with a linkage mechanism for so suspending a rotatable object from a base that its principal rotational axis will vary its position with respect to said base while the object rotates on such principal axis.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a linkage system of the class described that will suspend the object from a mounting base in such a manner that the object may be rotated through an angle of at least seventy (70) degrees while the principal rotational axis is varying its position with respect to said base.

Another object is to provide a linkage of the type described that will cause the rotational axis of an elon-- gated rotatable object to move closer to the base of suspension as the object is rotating from a generally horizontal position to a generally vertical position.

Another object is to provide a linkage of the class described that will permit greater movement of the principal rotational axis with respect to the base of suspension than has heretofore been available.

Still another object is to provide a linkage of the class described that will alford more free space beneath the elongated object than has generally been possible with linkage suspension systems.

Another object is to provide a linkage that will be suitable for use in connection with X-ray tables for so suspending a spot film device over the X-ray table that ample room will be provided for the patient between the spot film device and the table without interference from the linkage mechanism.

Still an additional object is to afford a linkage of the described class that will permit the spot film device to be parked by rotating it from a horizontal to a generally vertical position, and that will cause the device to move close to the fluoroscopic tower during the parking operation.

Yet another object is the provision of a linkage system of the class described in which the movement of the principal rotational axis toward the base of suspension will not vary greatly from a straight line that is substantially normal to said base.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is side elevation showing an X-ray spot-film device suspended horizontally from a fluoroscopic tower by means of my linkage system.

Fig. 2 shows the device of Fig. l in the parked, or vertical, position.

Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Although the invention herein described is applicable to many dilferent uses, I have chosen for purposes of illustration its application to an X-ray spot-film device. .Such devices are frequently referred to in the trade as tunnels, and these words will be used interchangeably throughout this specification.

Spot-film devices are supported on carriages that are mounted for longitudinal movement on the fluoroscopic ice towers of the X-ray machines to which they are attached. In the figures, the carriage 2 is mounted for longitudinal movement on the tower 3 by means that are neither shown nor described for the reason that they are not pertinent to the present invention.

In Fig. 1, the spot-film device 1 is shown suspended horizontally with regard to the carriage 2. This is the position that the spot-film device occupies when a patient is reclining on a table. No table is shown in any of the accompanying figures, however, because the table is not a component of the present invention. The center of gravity of the spot-film device is close to the pivot point 4 of link 5. When a patient is being placed on a table, it is advisable to tilt up the front portion 6 of the spotfilm device so that it is out of the way. Such tilting causes the tunnel to rotate on an axis that is coincident with the center of pivot 4 which has its counterpart on the opposite side of the spot-film device where one end of another link like link 5 is attached. If the tunnel were merely to rotate on the axis that passes through pivot 4 until the tunnel assumed a generally vertical position, there would be considerable space between the tunnel and the carriage 2 and the tunnel would still overhang the table by an objectionable amount. It is consequently desirable that the pivot point 4 move toward carriage 2 as the front end 6 of the tunnel moves upwardly. The linkage system herein described results in a movement of the pivot 4 toward the carriage 2 in a path that does not vary greatly from a straight line, and the distance of such movement is greater than has been provided by any mounting system heretofore used in the art.

The lower end of link Sis pivoted at point 7 to a link 8, the lower end of which is attached to a shaft 9. This shaft, as shown in Figure 3, extends to the opposite side of the carriage 2. Another lever 8, substantially like lever 8, is mounted on the other end of shaft 9. L'ever 8 is pivoted to the aforementioned counterpart of link 5. A second link 10 pivoted to carriage 2 at point 11 is rotatably attached to the spot-film device at 12. Link 10 also has a counterpart in link 10', pivoted to the opposite side of the carriage 2. A third link 13 is pivoted to the carriage at point 14 and to the link 5 at point 15. Link 13 has a mate 13 on the opposite side of the carriage.

As the tunnel rotates clock-wise, when viewed from the position shown in Fig. 1, link 13 rotates counterclockwise around the pivot 14, the generally downward movement of the pivot 15 being equal approximately to what would otherwise be the rise of the pivot 4. In other words, the downward movement of point 15 compensates for what would be the upward movement of point 4 if point 7 were to remain stationary.

The linkage formed by links 5, 13 and 8 makes it possible for point 4 to move to and from the carriage 2 in a path that does not vary greatly from a straight line.

Link 10 serves to hold pivot point 12 at a definite distance from the carriage 2 as the tunnel rotates around point 4. By the time the tunnel has been rotated through an angle of approximately ninety degrees, the levers will assume the position illustrated in Fig. 2. It will be noted here that the tunnel has moved toward the carriage.

The linkage just described makes it possible to provide a relatively large amount of open space beneath the horizontally disposed tunnel for the reclining patient who must be disposed below the screen 16. The linkage system is consequently out of the way of the patient. Link 5 is curved in its intermediate portions generally toward the carriage 2, a characteristic that results in the provision of a maximum amount of patient space.

It is important to my linkage system that the pivot point 15 be located between carriage 2 and an imaginary straight line connecting points 4 and 7. This is necessary in order to cause pivot point 4 to generate a line that does not vary greatly from a straight line in its movement from the position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 2. The pivot point 4 can be made to move approximately 8 inches during the rotation of the tunnel from the position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 2. If the distance between pivots 4 and 7 is 12 /8 inches, the distance between pivots 15 and 17 4 inches, the distance between pivots 15 and 4 9 inches, and if link 8 is 6 inches between pivot points 7 and 9, link 10 10%; inches between pivots 11 and 12, and link 13 7% inches between its pivots. The eifectiveness of these dimensions in producing the aforementioned movement of point 4 pre-supposes that the distance between points 11 and 14 is 1% inches and the distance between pivot points 14 and 9 7% inches. Lever 8 may be lengthened or shortened according to whether pivot point 9 is closer to or farther away from the pivot point 7.

It is not essential that levers 8 and 8 be rigidly mounted on a shaft 9. Such a rigid shaft may instead connect links 13 and 13', or links 10 and 10', or a connecting shaft may be omitted entirely. Such a connecting shaft, however, helps to keep the spot-film device 1 or such other object as may be suspended by such a lever system) from wabblingthat is, the axis that passes through pivot 4 is kept on a line that remains parallel to the pivot points of the mating links and levers on the carriage 2, or on such other mounting base as may be provided.

Various modifications may, of course, be made in the shape of the links and in their relationships without departing from the broad spirit of my invention.

My claims are:

1. A linkage system for so suspending an elongated device having two centers of rotation that one of said centers, will move materially closer to the base of suspension while the device is rotated from a first position in which its longitudinal axis is substantially at right angles to the base of suspension to a second position in which said axis is substantially parallel to said base, said system including; a first link rotatably connected to said base and to said device at one of its centers of rotation; a second link having one end pivoted to said base; a third link having one end pivoted to said device at its other center of; rotation and its other end pivoted. to the free end of said second link; and a fourth link pivoted to said base and to said third link at a point intermediate the ends of sa d h r link- 2 A linkage system for so suspending an elongated device h ving. woen r of o tion at one Of Said centers will move materially closer to the base of suspension while the device is rotated from a first position in which its longitudinal axis is substantially at right angles to the base of suspension to a second position in which said longitudinal axis is substantially parallel to said base, said system including: a first link rotatably connected to said base and to said device at one of its centers of rotation; a second link having one end pivoted to said base; a third link having one end pivoted to said device at its other center of rotation and its other end pivoted to the free end of said second link; and a fourth link having one end pivoted to said base and its other end pivoted to said third link at a point intermediate said base and an imaginary straight line passing through the pivot points of the two ends of said third link.

3. A linkage system for so suspending a rotatable elongated device that it will remain in substantially stable equilibrium and its center of gravity will move materially closer to a base of suspension as the device rotates through an angle of at least sixty degrees from a position in which its longitudinal axis is substantially at right angles to said base, said system including: a first link rotatably connected to said base and to said device; a second link having one end pivoted to said base; a third link having one end pivoted to the free end of said second link and its other end pivoted to said device at a point near its center of gravity; and a fourth link pivoted to said base and to said third link at a point intermediate the ends of said third link.

4. A linkage system for so suspending a rotatable elongated device that it will remain in substantially stable equilibrium and its center of gravity will move materially closer to a base of suspension as the device rotates through an angle of at least sixty (60) degrees from a position in which its longitudinal axis is substantially at right angles to said base, said system including: a first link rotatably connected to said base and to said device; a second link having one end pivoted to said base; a third link having one end pivoted to the free end of said second link and its other end pivoted to said device at a point near its center of gravity; and a fourth link having one end pivoted to said base and its other end pivoted to said third link at a point intermediate said base and an imaginary line passing through the pivot points of the two end-s of said third link.

Price Mar. 26, 1912 Haupt Sept. 22, 1953 

